Nelson's Joy Ride Into Space A Stunt We Don't Need

October 27, 1985|By Douglas Pike of the Sentinel Staff

On the horizon past the lake where I live, a space shuttle soon will be lofting my congressman into space. To watch an acquaintance rocket off in December will top the usual excitement of a launch. The thrill might even drown out the obvious point: that Rep. Bill Nelson will be wasting people's money and abusing the public trust.

Like Utah Sen. Jake Garn, pioneer of the space junket, Nelson says the ride will help him -- a subcommittee chairman -- oversee the space program. Baloney. It wastes money. It creates a conflict of interest. And it dilutes people's faith in the political system.

Talk about waste, fraud and abuse -- this is the genuine article. It is conservatively estimated that each shuttle flight costs more than $100 million. That puts a high price tag on each seat. You could buy a lot of club sandwiches for Nicaraguan contras or school lunches for Americans with what Nelson's ride will cost.

The cost of Nelson's 2 million-mile junket, of course, wouldn't be unspent if he stayed on Earth. But it might be spent on orbiting one more scientist to conduct experiments. Nelson's forte is political science. Otherwise, he peaked in his teens as a prize winner at the Florida Science Fair. Earl McKinney, his former chemistry teacher at Melbourne High School, stacks Nelson up against peers this way: ''He applied himself the best -- and he applied himself all the time.'' But straight A's in high school do not a spaceman make.

The tax dollars spent on Nelson's Christmas present are only the most glaring problem. The conflict of interest is even more important. Grubbing for an invitation, he no longer had the arm's-length relation with NASA that is needed to ensure that he oversees the space program objectively. Once NASA said yes to his pleas, he was in the agency's debt and his objectivity became still more suspect. The actual flight -- which supposedly will make him more expert -- will increase suspicion about his objectivity.

Take, for example, the criticism of NASA's plans for a manned space station rather than an unmanned one. Nelson already prefers the manned concept, but his joy ride should make him all the less likely to question it.

If there were any excuse for launching politicians, perhaps Garn would have detailed it. He returned to Earth in April, and six months later still hasn't finished his report on the junket. Supposedly it will be released in November. That's nice work if you can get it.

The whole phenomenon of space politicians is hard to take seriously. With all due respect to NASA and its technology, Rep. Jack Kemp of New York could float into the ionosphere simply by taking off his shoes and removing any heavy objects from his pockets.

Who is going to blow the whistle on Nelson's skyjackacking of a shuttle? Don't expect many journalists to complain: Last week NASA bid for the good will of the Fourth Estate by announcing a contest for one journalist to get a seat on a 1986 shuttle flight. And don't expect Nelson's constituents on the so-called Space Coast to complain. His mail is running 3-to-1 in favor of the ride. That leaves Congress itself to say no.

In truth, if I were Nelson -- an otherwise excellent congressman -- I might pull the same stunt. I might even convince myself that it was a public service. But seen objectively, the ride would be a dare to contituents to defeat me.